Night of the Living Dead
by steampunkcatz
Summary: We know before the apocalypse, Glenn was a mere pizza delivery boy... but he was also one hell of a gamer. Before he met Katie, life was just a series of passing days. Things go awry when he goes to meet his online muse. Glenn x OC - Will update
1. Lifeless

Glenn heard a familiar high pitched beep and rushed to his minimized tab to see if he'd gotten a new message.  
It said, "Ya, sounds good - I can make it Friday at four, as long as you're not busy.. X"  
Glenn had been talking to her for about four months now. ShyKitten64, AKA Katherine, the 18 year old girl gamer he'd met over Steam playing Civilization V. They'd skyped only twice, and Glenn had somehow managed to act more socially awkward the second time the night before.  
Her message was referring to the location - a park in the heart of the city - where she and Glenn had decided to meet.  
There was only one problem. His delivery shifts were Monday through Friday... From twelve to five o'clock.  
"Damn," he muttered, slamming down his headset.  
He contemplated telling her about the predicament, but ultimately decided he'd just call in sick that day, instead of flaking on her. Missing one day of work wouldn't hurt.  
It was only Wednesday afternoon, post-shift, which meant, as Glenn put it, he had a solid two days to get his shit together.  
He hoped after she saw what a compassionate and caring guy he was, Katie would forget about his other faults, like his not-so-lavish lifestyle.  
After going for a brisk walk around his neighborhood to clear his head, he came home and went to sleep. That night, his thoughts drifted from the prospect of his upcoming meet-up to, "When was the last time I got a haircut?"  
The next day Glenn woke up early and brewed himself a cup of black coffee. He drank it from his rainbow Atlanta, GA mug the same way he'd gulp down a shot. His facial expression also mimicked this action. He hated the taste of coffee, after all, but it helped get him going in the morning.  
He threw off his dorky plaid pajama pants and put on some jeans and a dark black t-shirt that matched his coal colored hair, and grabbed his keys and wallet from his counter.  
Arriving to work twenty minutes early, he parked his light blue bike next to the entrance of the building. "Papa's Pizza" were the words the neon aqua and yellow sign outside the door displayed. A cowbell hung above the door inside, alerting the staff of entering customers.  
"Glenn! My boy! Aren't we lucky you arrived early?" His manager Herbert came strolling up to him. His booming voice always had a happy undertone.  
"Listen man, we're gonna got a lot of calls in tonight around the end of your shift, with it being New Years Eve and all. I hope you're prepared to be rushing all around town."  
Glenn smiled, "You know how much I love busting my chops for you, Herb."  
Five hours of deliveries later, Glenn was at home on his couch watching Halloween. He imagined most everyone else was out celebrating New Years, and that only served to make him more depressed as he stuck his hand into the popcorn bowl.

Glenn was on his bike, wind blown hair fighting against his helmet as Green Day blasted from his headphones. He turned a corner, dodging a petite brunette woman pushing a double stroller. One more block and he'd be at the park. It was hard to tell whether it was the adrenaline from the exercise, or if he was just nervous as hell. He concluded it was the latter.  
He'd called in sick. Herbert seemed a little disappointed overall, but Glenn told him a family member was in the hospital, so as not to get fired. He felt bad about lying, but he didn't want to let Herbert know he'd let him down if not over something serious. And was this?  
A minute later he arrived at St. Vincent's Park. Cars were parked on either side of the quiet street. He walked his bike over the rack. Children slid down slides and climbed across monkey bars, while smiling parents watched intently. His eyes scanned the area slowly, until they came across a pretty girl sitting on a bench, reading some kind of comic book. Squinting at the title, Glenn could make out the words "Night of the Living Dead" on the cover.  
He recognized her from her profile picture. This was the girl in the photos, the girl he talked to over webcam. Her blonde hair led to a milky pink ombre, falling down past her shoulders. He stuck his phone and headphones into his pocket and after a minute of fidgeting with his hair, walked over to her. "Katie?"  
She turned in his direction, smile widening. "Glenn! You made it!"  
"Were you expecting me not to?" he asked, plopping down beside her on the bench. Now that he was closer to her, he noticed other things about her, like the green spot on her left iris, and the beauty mark on her cheek.  
"No, that's not it. I'm just... excited to see you."  
"How's the book?" It was the first thing Glenn could think of to say. He wasn't great at conversation.  
Katie looked puzzled, but then she looked down at the comic book sprawled across her lap. "Oh. It's great!" She closed it and picked it up gently back into her bag.  
"Great..."  
"So, Civilization V! Awesome game play, huh?" Katie's eyes darted around, her timid gaze switching from Glenn to the playground's mulch shavings behind him.  
"Yeah. I was really anticipating the release. I'm not disappointed."  
"You know, I'm sorry if this is weird. It's just, I don't meet up with people in real life much. I usually only talk to friends and family, really."  
Glenn understood the feeling. "Don't worry, I'm the same way. It seems like some people don't see me as anything more than a pizza boy."  
"Well at least you're working. I live at home, and I'm plagued by an awful disease."  
Glenn's mouth widened. "What do you mean?"  
"Writer's block. It's torture. My dream was to become a writer, but now I'm struggling to write more than a few hundred messy words on a page. I can barely afford my apartment's rent."  
Glenn laughed a sigh of relief. "Confession: I still live with my parents." He really wanted to get that part over with, and while they were sharing their dirty secrets it seemed like the perfect time.  
"Confession," Katie raised an eyebrow, "I didn't go to college."  
"Confession: I didn't either."  
"Did you not have the money?"  
"My parents did, but I feel like the whole thing's a waste of time."  
"It does seem like a scam. Why waste thousands of dollars when you could just write a book and get fame... a movie deal?" Katie frowned, "That's what my thought process was anyway."  
"Well, we'll certainly be great parents if nothing else." Glenn said sarcastically, and then realized how weird that sounded. They'd just met after all.  
"I'm sorry. That was..."  
"No, it's fine. I get the joke." She smiled sympathetically, grazing his hand with hers.  
Glenn was about to say something about the weather. It was then that he saw him.  
Something or someone rather, a man charging toward them. From afar it looked like a person, but as it came closer Glenn could tell what was once human was no more. He was a balding middle-aged man in a bloody white and gray flannel. His scratch mark covered skin looked decayed, and a piece of flesh torn from his neck. He was limping at a consistent pace, with no plans of slowing down.  
"Run!" Glenn yelled to Katie, sprinting toward his bike.  
Frantic parents searched for their children, one mother screaming "ISABELLA!"  
"Wait!" Katie grabbed her bag and keys. "Come with me!"  
Glenn glanced at the green Honda parked underneath the shade of a willow tree. He didn't give it a second thought, taking shotgun as Katie unlocked the car. She backed up, wheels skidding as they retreated north past the half dead man who turned its head, as if confused by all the noise. They didn't look back.


	2. Popcorn

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That." Katie's shaking hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white.

"I don't know! God, I don't know. Can you turn on the radio or something?" Glenn's head was spinning. He saw a dad and a mom packing suitcases into their van's trunk, kids anxiously waiting in the driveway holding stuffed animals.

"You're seriously asking me to turn on the radio right now?"

"Listen, it was just some crazy guy. It wasn't a near death experience or anything."

"I beg to differ." Katie was calming down though, and switched on the local radio station. A woman's voice could be heard, official and unwavering.

 _'Atlanta, Georgia police officials are calling these strings of events horrifying, saying the cause of the outbreaks are 'yet to be determined.' Oh, Joe, we're getting something else. Yeah, in fact, just yesterday reports were made of a woman tearing her baby apart limb from limb. And get this... eating it!'_  
 _'No way, Cassie! Wow, I gotta say it, this is some scary stuff. Eye witnesses confirmed...'_

The broadcast cut off, and a minute later returned with screams.

 _'Oh my god! Cassie! Oh, shit! What is that thing? Lock the doors! Lock the doors!'_

Glenn turned the volume down to zero, and Katie stopped the car at a curb. For a moment, they sat in silence.

"What do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I think I'll drop you at your house." Katie's voice was shaking. "Unless you wanna come with me back to mine. I-I could give you a tour."

"That'd be best. It might not be safe for you to drive back by yourself." Glenn tried to disguise the fear in his voice.

"I'm not asking you because I'm scared. I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Katherine, I'm probably more terrified than anything right now." Glenn refrained from biting his nails, which is what he would be doing if he wasn't in such close proximity to a girl.

Katie flinched at the sound of her full name, her keys in the ignition. Only her parents had called her that, he remembered her saying on one of the many days they talked through their headsets, daydreaming about having different live in different worlds, imagining the type of people they'd be in these alternate realities.

Now, maybe they'd find out.

Glenn pulled out his phone and googled _zombie attack_. Many recent news stories showed up at the top, but he didn't bother clicking on any of them.

They arrived at Katie's apartment complex in less than 10 minutes. As it turned out, she lived pretty close by. Unlocking the door, a golden retriever puppy greeted her at the door.

"Aw, who's this cutie? What's his name?"

"It's a she, actually. Her name's Shoshanna." Katie smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"When'd you get her?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders, "'Bout a month ago. She was part of a litter some guy was giving away for free in front of Safeway."

"But taking six puppies would be a little much, right?"

Katie laughed, "Exactly. Besides, God knows I don't have the money."

When she closed the door, Glenn noticed how dim the apartment really was. There were very few windows, and they were mostly covered with curtains, allowing little light to pass through. Dog toys were scattered around the living room, and there were two bean bag chairs next to a beige colored sofa, a TV, and Katie's gaming set up. The kitchen was small, and it looked like an unopened bag of popcorn had been left in the microwave. A small staircase wound up to the right, a glass ceiling above illuminating the steps.

"Wanna take a look upstairs? I have my comics up there in my room." She liked collecting comic books, listening to old records, and sugar cookies. That was what was displayed on her "Interests" page.

They went upstairs, and Katie sat on her bed, long white skirt draped over the side, as Glenn examined all of the different comics she had, including special and limited editions. Some of them would be worth a lot today.

Katie sighed, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "So, whadda ya think all of these attacks are about lately? Do you think this is gonna start World War 3?"

Glenn thought for a second, hands in his pockets. "I think it's some kind of plague."

"So there's some kind of mystery illness going around that no one can treat?

"It's just a theory. I mean, maybe all these things are just coincidences. There's a lot of evil in the world."

"Have you experienced this evil, Glenn?"

"We all have. In some way or other. Maybe we don't notice the first time around. But the injustices that go unpun-"

"That's enough of the philosophical bullshit," Katie cut him off, laughing, but he could tell she was hiding something. "Hey, you wanna catch a movie later?"

"I don't feel like going out tonight. Not with everything that's happening. We shouldn't underestimate the threat."

"Glenn, listen. What happened back there was creepy, but do you seriously believe the dude had anything to do with what's going on now?"

Glenn started back down the stairs, looking over his shoulder. "There has to be a connection. If you don't mind I'm going to steal some of your popcorn."

He was bouncing back down the stairs when he heard a noise coming from outside the front door. It sounded like growling, but it was hard to make out.

"Katie, come down here!"

"What?" Katie shouted from her room. "I think I might take a shower!"

"I think there's something outside..." Glenn trailed off, squinting through the peephole.

It was then that they barged the door down, three or four of them entering all at once. Glenn screamed, sprinting back up the stairs and slamming the door to Katie's room. There was only one window. Maybe they could try to escape.

Katie looked bewildered. "What is it?"

"The people, they got in!"

"What people? What are you talking about?"

"Like the guy at the park. There's more of them. They got inside." Glenn hefted Katie's dresser up with a groan. Then he used it to barricade her doorway.

"This'll hold them for now. We have to go out that way." He pointed toward the window, where they were alarmed to see more of them, walking aimlessly.


	3. A Fun Day

**10 YEARS EARLIER**

Katie had been excited to go scuba diving. She'd lived in Florida since she was born, but she'd never went. Pestering her parents, a young Katie would ask every now and then, "Are we there yet?" Tension hung heavy in the air. Her parents were arguing this day - it wasn't a major fight or anything... Either something about debt, bills, or spending time with her Katie assumed. They were still angry, and exchanging words.

"You know what, Rupert? This is supposed to be a fun day." Her mother was whispering now, and gestured toward Katie, "How about we put on some music, roll down the windows?"

"Listen, you can't just drown me out! Eventually this will come back to us."

Glaring at him, Flora said, "We should talk about this some other time. That's final. Now could you turn up the air conditioner?"  
A few minutes later, "No, you're going the wrong way. No, honey it's -"

Then, in a split second, there was a collision. A crushing sound as their ruby red Subaru toppled off the highway into a nearby brush, tipped over.

Katie was woozy on painkillers by the time she'd woken up in the hospital bed. The ceiling was spinning. She didn't have much time to analyze her surroundings before a nurse in Winnie the Pooh scrubs and a pencil tucked inside her messy bun, came in to check her vitals.

"How're ya doing sweety? M'kay?" She might've been the human equivalent of a teddy bear.

Katie nodded, trying to get the nurse to leave her alone. She felt like falling into a black hole and dying.

The nurse blinked, inspecting the sticky blood in Katie's unkempt dirty blonde hair. Katie sank back into her chair, feeling tired all of a sudden. She'd had a concussion, but she'd learn that later.

"Okay, well the doctors will be in to see you in just a moment. See, we found your parent's identification at the site and we were able to find out who ya are. You're Katherine." It was supposed to be a question, but she said it so matter-of-factly that Katie didn't bother answering or nodding her head.

She was later informed that both of her parents had died in the accident, and she would have to go live with her next legal guardians or relatives. That meant her paternal aunt in Georgia. Katie imagined that if a kid didn't have any other family they'd be put into foster care. Too young to be adopted, and too old to go it alone.

In the matter of a month her aunt and uncle had flown out, helped her pack her things, and brought her back to Georgia. On the day they left, Katie looked out the window, watching as her old house shrank the farther they traveled, and then disappeared from their rearview altogether. Similar to the tear drop that rolled down her cheek, and onto the car's leather seat.

Katie didn't know how to cope. It was hard to believe someone could be there one day, and gone the next. She spend most of the remaining days of the summer crying in her room, including her birthday. Celebrating was the last thing on her mind.

Katie's cousin Sage was a beautiful brunette girl, with big hazel eyes and a tight smile. She'd been fifteen at the time, and was seemingly bitter at Katie's arrival. Overhearing a late night conversation, Katie heard Sage say, "It's not like she's your kid, but you care about her more than me!"

Katie knew she was right. Aunt Joan and Uncle Damon were nice people, but she wasn't their kid. She never would be, and there was nothing she could do about it because her parents were gone, among the dead.


End file.
